Witchy Thoughts and Words

Brief History of Wicca

“Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
And harming none, do as ye will.”
This is the Wiccan Rede, the guiding principle for practicing Wiccans. The etymology of the word Wicca is unclear. It may have come from an old English word witta or wice which are terms for wise one or witch. Another source credits it to a word which means 'to bend' , meaning the early practitioners were flexible in order to survive the Burning Times, when the Church tried to destroy them. It is literally the Craft of the Wise or the Old Religion. A nature based religion patterned after the old polytheistic religions of ancient man. The Goddesses are worshiped as the creators of life, and the source of fertility.

Wicca is not synonymous with Witchcraft, which is a system of Magick. The spelling of this word is deliberate, magic is sleight of hand, tricks with cards, coins, and a rabbit in a hat. Witchcraft, which is as old as mankind, is defined as the use of natural energy and directed personal will to bring about a change in one's reality. The fact is most Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan. Anyone can practice witchcraft or Magick, it isn't a religious thing. However, the early Christians were taught to fear it, even though they may have practiced in secret.

The shift of Rome to Christianity was more political than spiritual and when the Holy Roman Empire conquered much of Europe the Church was the actual government of Rome. The warriors of the Celts were feared and respected on the battlefield, but the sheer numbers of the Roman legions overpowered them. Julius Caesar claimed the teachings of the Druids, particularly the belief in reincarnation, made the woad painted fighters fearless. The Druids, who were considered the spiritual leaders of the Celts, (Celt is pronounced with a hard C) were virtually wiped out and the survivors went underground. The Old Religion was practiced in secret, being handed down in stories from generation to generation.

The Gods of the Old Religion became the devil of the new. Pictures showing the devil or Lucifer as part man and part animal, with horns and cloven hooves began to show up during the Crusades. This is when many of the Christian soldiers and knights were exposed to the old gods of Greece for the first time. It isn't a coincidence that they look like Pan. He was the God of the fields and associated with the Springtime, a time of new birth. His likeness was connected to sex, and he was often shown with an erection in old paintings. The Christian Church was fighting the influence of the Goddess oriented Old Religion. They wanted to play down the role of women in procreation. The Old Religion placed the Goddess above the God because she could create life. With the new Christian Church's attitude toward sex, sin, and women, Pan represented the 'evil' of the Pagans. Pagans was the term used for the country folk that weren't sophisticated in the ways of the world.

The Romans found it easier to absorb the customs and holidays of their newly conquered people into their own religion. The Winter Solstice became the birthday of Christ, old temples became the sites of new churches and cathedrals. Old Gods and Goddesses became the new saints. People who were unwilling to give up their superstitious ways began to incorporate their use of herbs and ritual into their daily life. The knives in the kitchen doubled as athames, the cauldron hanging on the hearth was used to make soap, cook stew and concoct spells. The tools were hidden in plain sight, as the church made war on the women.

The Church's laws were the secular law as well, there was no separation between church and state. Witchcraft was illegal and punishable by death. The tests for Witchcraft and the trials that followed were often deadly and if one confessed they were hung or burned immediately. The trials went on until there was a confession or the accused died. If an accused person died while being tested or tried, they were innocent. However, it was thought to be better if 100 innocent people died rather than one witch go free. Bringing an accusation against a neighbor would often result in gaining property for the accuser, as the Church split the property of the supposed witch with them. Ironically many who accused one neighbor were accused themselves at a later date and weren't able to enjoy their gains.

A new interest in the occult in the nineteenth century started the creation of groups like the Golden Dawn, and Rosicrucians. People began to explore hypnosis, mediums, tarot readers, Magick, and other phenomenon that were illegal during the Dark Ages. Witchcraft was still against the law, but it was no longer a capital offense, however,anyone convicted would lose their property and standing in the community.

Wicca officially came into being during the early 1950’s when England repealed the laws against practicing witchcraft. In 1954 Gerald Gardner published his first non-fiction book Witchcraft Today. Old Dorothy Clutterbuck had initiated Gardner into a coven in 1939. Records are scarce, because of the laws at the time, but it seems that her coven was one of nine that were started in East Anglia by George Pickengill. In any event, Pickengill later did initiate Gardner into one of his covens, so they spent some time studying together. Pickengill is thought to be the one who began to mix the practices of high magic from the Freemasons, the Rosicrucian's, and the Golden Dawn with the less dramatic spell craft of the hedge or cottage witches. Gardner had dabbled with these groups as well and since he was the first to publish about Witchcraft, he is credited with being the Father of Wicca. His craft was learned from other sources such as Pickengill, Old Dorothy and even Aleister Crowley. The latter practiced a very dark form of the craft in his temple in Spain and was eventually forced to move back to England. Most of his writing that had been included in Gardner's personal Book of Shadows was removed by Doreen Valiente during the late fifties. Gardner had the advantage of being more literate than most and had the help of Ms. Valiente to publish his books. While Crowley published a number of books at the same time, the nature of his practice was discredited in most of the world.

When studying Wicca, a whole new vocabulary must be learned. Many different philosophies from the Old Religion, and Eastern philosophies to Native American spiritualism have blended into what is modern Wicca. Groups of Wiccans, known as covens, write their own rites and rituals. Trads, short for traditions, are groups that follow the same rituals, they are somewhat like the denominations of the modern Christian Church, they believe in many of the same things but there are enough differences to create divisions. There are groups that are called Family Trads, a form of worship that has been handed down from generation to generation. Other traditions include the Gardnerians, Alexandrian, Celtic, Saxon, Fairy, and Eclectic to name only a few. Wicca is the fastest growing religion in much of the world. Most practitioners have become disillusioned with one of the major religions and found their way to Wicca. Wiccans don't try to covert others. If someone is interested in learning, they will find the teacher they need.

Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again.

BrigitRose

As the leaves twirl around,
Lightly lightly this one comes down.


BrigitRose

As the leaves twirl around,
Lightly lightly this one comes down.